I
PROBABLY NO SLNGLE PLAY IN offense the gift of outstanding field
football is as dangerous as the kickoff
return. At Galena High School, we have
1
i
been proving it rather conclusively over
the past several years.
In 1993 and '94, our three deep
return men led the league (finishing 1-
3-3) in total yardage, average yardage
per return, and return touchdowns. They
also made a practice of giving their
be made whenever indicated by the .i him i
position on practically every return. scouting report. '2 TI'
Our offense could usually start Our report package consisted of three j 2
operating from around its own 45-yard
line. As you might surmise, our
normal calls: Return Right, Return Left
and Return Middle. To add a little extn
jq
!
say, t
2 waul
kickoff return package was feared misdirection we also had a naked QB woul
throughout the conference. :2
5
bootleg, which we usually saved until wotll
Diag. 1 illustrates the 5-2- 1-3 the end of the season. Ift
alignment we used on kickoff returns. Probably the most distinctive aspecl f
order
Our traditional five-man front of our kickoff return was a tri;":' I.? I f t
(guards, tackles, and center) set up reverse action off the posting $3. On 3
! order
between the 45 and 50. Our next two every return, the QB had to sprint 2 On
i"
players (who had the hands and build
of tight ends) set up on the 30 just
back and set up an exchange point
according to the depth of the kick. Our
i ' as s h ~
outside the hashmarks. three return men (left half, right ha
Of course, slight adjustments could and fullback) then had to drive over
COACH & ATHLETIC D I R E C ~ ~it ~ MARC
1
 !
gl~thalf, drive over the QB and hand him the
i
ve over ; ball, then carry out a great fake and

lnnk to block for the QB.
Ice Retum Right calls for the LH
to%rry the ball, he would take the ball
from the QB and start sprinting toward
the wall immediately.
The RH would then drive over the
QB and also carry out a great fake and
get tackled+r, if not tackled, look
for someone to block.
The QB's last move (after handing
off to the LH and faking to the RH) is
to bootleg to the side opposite the
ball, faking as if he had the ball.
The LTE (Left Tight End) becomes
the QB's personal protector (on a
Return Right). He must make sure no
one gets to the QB.
The RTE (Right Tight End) takes
charge of setting up the wall for the
return. He turns inside, just outside of
the hashmark.
The linemen then fill in the wall:
The Center becomes the fourth
part of the wall. He sprints to a point
three yards off the RG, then turns to
face inside.
16
The RG becomes the third part of
the wall, as he turns and sets up three
yards off the RT.
The RT becomes the second part of
the wall, turning inside and setting up
alongside the RTE three yards away.
The LG is responsible for kicking
out the contain man on the return side
of the field, and the LT fills out the
final part of the wall.
Return Left (Diag. 3) has basically
the same assignments, except that the
wall is set up on the left side of the
LTE, while the RTE protects the QB
and the RH takes charge of kicking
out the contain man on the left side.
The RH now returns the football (up
the left side).
Return Middle (Diag. 4 ) employs a
basic wedge blocking scheme, with
the fullback receiving the ball.
Whenever the defense starts keying
to the side on which the wall is being
formed, we can always call Wall Right,
Return Left or Wall Left, Return Right.
Note: It's always wise to scout the
opposing kicker to give your QB some
idea of how deep he will have to drop
to set up the exchange point. Timing is
of the essence. No one should have to
wait his turn to fake. The three retun
men and the QB should practice the
posting move every day.
The halfback should, on the hand off'
to the QB, make sure to hold on to the
ball until he is at least even with the QB
to avoid a possible forward lateral :all.
Note on signals: After an oppo,ing
team's touchdown or just before the
game begins, our special-team
coordinator calls the return on the
sideline just before our return team
takes the field.
Even though the opponents know
which back is going where, they never
know who is going to wind up with
the football. Kick-off teams also have
a tendency to commit to the mic>:le,
which is why the outside returns work
so well.
An integrated package like this will
give you more versatility without
requiring more practice time. With 10-
12 minutes of practice every day, you
can increase your average starting
field position by 15 to 20 yards.
That should put a smile on the face
of every special-team coach!
COACH & ATHLETIC D I R E C ~ O ~